Simon’s Sermon, September 28, 2020

YOM KIPPUR 2020

     WE LOST A GOOD FRIEND TWO MONTHS AGO.  SHE WAS AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.  SHE WAS CHATTY.  SHE WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE.  SHE WAS OPINIONATED, AND ENTERTAINED OTHER OPINIONS DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO HER OPINIONS.  SHE WAS UP-TO-DATE ON JEWISH COMMUNITY GOINGS-ON, LIKE ENGAGEMENTS, WEDDINGS, AND DEATHS.  AND SHE COULD TELL YOU THE BEST REALTOR, THE BEST CAR DEALERSHIP, THE BEST DELI. 

     HER DEATH WAS PREMATURE, BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS DUE TO COVID-19.  SHE WAS 74 YEARS OLD, TWO YEARS OLDER THAN I AM NOW, AND I FEEL LIKE I AM YOUNG MAN.  NINETY-SEVEN IS OLD.  ONE HUNDRED THREE IS OLD.  EIGHTY-NINE IS ARGUABLY OLD.  BUT 74? 

     SEVENTY-FOUR IS OLDER THAN MANY PEOPLE LIVE TO BE.  MY MOTHER DIED AT 65.  MY WIFE’S SISTER DIED AT 44.  MY DAUGHTER AMY’S BEST FRIEND DID NOT LIVE TO BE 15.  NEVERTHELESS, MANY PEOPLE ATTENDING THIS SERVICE THINK THAT 74 IS TOO YOUNG TO DIE, AND YOU ARE RIGHT.

     HER DEATH WAS ANNOUNCED ON JULY 30, THE NINTH OF AV.  THE DATE WAS APPROPRIATE.  THE NINTH OF AV, TISHA B’AV, HAS A LONG HISTORY THAT MARKS CALAMITIES IN OUR HISTORY.  THE TALMUD DECREES THAT WE SHOULD COMMEMORATE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FIRST TEMPLE IN 586 B.C.E. BY THE BABYLONIANS AND WE SHOULD COMMEMORATE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SECOND TEMPLE IN 70 C.E. BY THE ROMANS ON THE NINTH OF AV.  THE JEWS WERE EXPELLED FROM ENGLAND IN 1290 ON THE NINTH OF AV.  THE NINTH OF AV WAS THE LAST DATE THAT JEWS COULD LIVE IN SPAIN IN 1492.  GERMANY DECLARED WAR ON RUSSIA ON THE NINTH OF AV 1914, EFFECTIVELY BEGINNING WORLD WAR I.  OUR GOOD FRIEND’S DEATH WAS NOT ON A PAR WITH THE DESTRUCTIONS OF THE TEMPLES, AND IT WAS NOT ON A PAR WITH THE EXPULSION FROM ENGLAND, AND IT WAS NOT ON A PAR WITH THE EXPULSION FROM SPAIN, AND IT WAS NOT ON A PAR WITH COMMENCEMENT OF WORLD WAR I, BUT HER DEATH AFFECTED THE CENTRAL JERSEY JEWISH COMMUNITY DEEPLY.

     BY HERSELF, IN CONJUNCTION WITH HER SUPPORTERS, SHE HELD THE CENTRAL JERSEY JEWISH COMMUNITY TOGETHER.  SHE SPREAD NEWS OF IMPORTANT THINGS TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT WAS THE OPENING OF A NEW COMMUNITY INSTITUTION, THE ARRIVAL OF NEW RABBI, OR THE NEWS FROM ISRAEL.  SHE HELD FORTH ON THE ISRAELI-PALISTINIAN CONFLICT, THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR QUEST, ISRAELI DOMESTIC POLITICS, OR OUR OWN DOMESTIC POLITICS.  INDEED, SHE TOLD MORE THAN 30 STORIES ABOUT CONGREGATION AHAVAS SHOLOM. 

     OUR DEAR FRIEND WAS THE NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS.  REFORM JEWS, CONSERVATIVE JEWS, ORTHODOX JEWS, RECONSTRUCTIONIST JEWS, SECULAR JEWS, AND ATHEISTIC JEWS READ THE JEWISH NEWS TO LEARN WHAT WAS GOING IN THE COMMUNITY, AROUND THE NATION, AND AROUND THE WORLD.  THE KOL BO COLUMN CONTAINED EVERY WEEK ARTICLES THAT DESCRIBED CELEBRITIES, SCIEINTIFIC DISCOVERIES, OR ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES.  EACH WEEK WE READ BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS, EANGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS, WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND OBITUARIES.  THE NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS WAS THE GLUE THAT HELD THE DIVERSE COMPONENTS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL JERSEY TOGETHER.

     OUR JEWISH INSTITUTIONS IN THE METROWEST REGION WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE THE JEWISH NEWS.  THE DAY SCHOOLS CATER TO THEIR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.  THE Y’S CATER TO THEIR MEMBERSHIPS.  THE SYNAGOGUES CATER TO THEIR MEMBERSHIPS, AND REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE AND ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES MOSTLY DON’T TALK TO EACH OTHER.

     SUBSCRIBE TO MOMENT.  SUBSCRIBE TO THE FORWARD.  READ OUR NEWSLETTER.  I INVITE YOU TO SHARE GOOD NEWS WITH US, BECAUSE WE CAN PUBLISH YOUR GOOD NEWS TO THE COMMUNITY.  BUT OUR NEWSLETTER IS A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR THE JEWISH NEWS.

     THE YIZKOR SERVICE IS NEXT, AND TRADITIONALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT LOST A PARENT, OR CHILD, OR A SIBLING LEAVE THE SANCTUARY.  BUT I IMPLORE YOU WHO ORDINARILY WOULDN’T STAY FOR YIZKOR TO STAY.  IF YOU DON’T HAVE SOMEBODY TO SAY KADDISH FOR, SAY KADDISH FOR OUR DEAR FRIEND.  SHE DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED LIKE A FATHER OR MOTHER, BROTHER OR SISTER, OR CHILD.  OUR DEAR FRIEND, THE NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS, TOUCHED EVERY PERSON IS THIS CONGREGATION, AND WE MOURN HER DEATH.